Man swallowed by sinkhole in bedroom, presumed dead

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A man in Florida swallowed by a massive sinkhole under his bedroom Thursday night is believed to be dead.

The house is in Brandon, Florida, a suburb just outside Tampa. It remained intact through the early morning but inside there is a deep sinkhole, an estimated 100 feet wide.

The brother of the 36-year-old man trapped below, says he heard a loud crash, as if a car had crashed into the house. He heard his brother yell and ran to his bedroom.

When he opened the door, he saw the bed and mattress, but his brother was gone. He got a shovel and started digging trying to reach him, but when rescue crews showed up, they pulled him back, because the sink hole was rapidly widening.

The hole is at least 50 feet deep and the bedroom was at its center. An engineering crew with sonar devices has not been able to pick up any sounds. Neighboring homes have been evacuated.

DaveUK

unbelievable

i agree. this story chills me all over every time i read it. the fact that the brother heard him scream means he was conscious and aware that tragedy was happening. im so scared for him. and the fact that they "presumed him dead" is beyond me.